Borizzo Airfield
Borizzo Airfield  | |
|---|---|
| Part of Twelfth Air Force | |
| Coordinates | 37°53′47.71″N 012°32′21.57″E / 37.8965861°N 12.5393250°E |
| Type | Military Airfield |
| Site information | |
| Controlled by | Italian Regia Aeronautica |
| Condition | abandoned |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1930's |
| In use | till 1971 |
| Built by | Italian Regia Aeronautica |
| Materials | tarmac (RWY 2/20, 1.600m) |
| Height | 58m |
| Garrison information | |
| Occupants | United States Army Air Forces |
Borizzo Airfield is an abandoned World War II military airfield in Italy, which was located in the vicinity of Trapani on Sicily.
History
It was built in the 1930s near the village of Borgo Rizzo and used by Axis forces as a base for the Italian Regia Aeronautica. During the Sicilian Campaign it was sized by elements of the United States Fifth Army . Once in Allied hands, it was used by the United States Army Air Force Twelfth Air Force 316th Troop Carrier Group, which flew C-47 Skytrains from the field between 18 October 1943-12 February 1944.
When the Americans pulled out the airfield was handed back to the Italians that rebuilt the airport in 1949. The airport operated military and commercial flights until 1961 when the new Trapani-Birgi Airport was opened. It was definitely abandoned in 1971 by the Italian army and closed.
Today of the airport remain only the runway, the control-tower and few smaller buildings.
The name
The Italians called the airport Trapani-Chinisia from the nearby river Chinisia but the allies used on their plans the name of the nearby village of Borgo Rizzo that in a second time was abbreviated on the documents as Borizzo. The official name of the airport was Aeroporto di Trapani-Chinisia and was intitoled to the Italian aviator Livio Bassi.
References
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Air Force Historical Research Agency.
- Maurer, Maurer. Air Force Combat Units of World War II. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History, 1983. ISBN 0-89201-092-4.
- Maurer, Maurer, ed. (1982) [1969]. Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, World War II (reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-405-12194-6. LCCN 70605402. OCLC 72556.
